Daily Encouragements

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Jeremiah 26:13 (KJV) 13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

There is hope even in the middle of an impending judgment from the Lord. Repentance and obedience are the keys. God loves the world so much; He would rather save the rebellious than judge or destroy them. Even if He has already pronounced destruction upon the people, He doesn’t have any problem forgiving repentant sinners and withholding judgment from the nations.

Our loving, gracious, and merciful God sends us—many of us—to the lost and dying humanity. Many of them are unbelievably stiff-necked. They would rather ignore or attack God’s faithful messengers than humbly and wisely listening, acknowledging their impudent rebellions, sincerely repenting, and start living obediently before the Lord.

Repentance and obedience are non-negotiable pre-requisites. Praise God! He doesn’t require us to perform amazing feats before He grants us forgiveness and restoration. We don’t have to climb the tallest mountains, sail across the widest oceans, dive the deepest sees and explore the vastness of the universe before He withholds His judgments.

Turn to God—that’s what we did, that’s what we pray and strive for that others would do as well. There’s no human experience as amazing and as important as salvation from sure destruction—especially the eternal kind. The same principle holds true when it comes to judgment of nations. We have hope despite the chaos going on. We’re praying; we’re expectantly waiting. God can deliver us.

There will come a time when it’s too late. But as for us, we didn’t want to wait for that. We’re already living under the shelter of the Most High. We’re already living under His protection, and safe refuge. We do our best calling others to enjoy this peace-filled assurance. Not all, perhaps not many will heed our call. But to everyone who does, safety is sure.

Jeremiah 23:29 (KJV) 29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

God’s Word is indestructible. Anyone who fights against it finds themselves in a losing battle. Anyone who tries to destroy it will themselves be destroyed. It is an inextinguishable fire. Try putting it out and you’ll find yourself devoured by it.

It’s utterly useless and absolutely foolish to kick against a consuming fire and a pounding hammer. True believers highly value God’s Word. We understand its power and eternality. The grass withers; the flowers wilt, heavens and earth will pass away, but God’s Word—to the smallest dot—will remain.

Our lives are changed by it. It’s a consuming fire that burns the filth and dirt from our lives. It’s a burning passion that we can’t keep silent about. Through us, the fire spreads, touching and purifying lives and changing situations.

Numerous thoughts and opinions beat on God’s Word. Anti-Scriptural practices are hastily increasing. Godless, lawless, and evil ways are promoted and promulgated. But we’re here. We may be few, but we’re the faithful few. We pray for others; we do our best for them to enjoy wonders of living in the truth instead of against it. The open-minded and honest seekers recognize the fire and its power. Wisely, they choose to enjoy it, its benefits and blessings. Then there are those who stubbornly live in denial of or rebellion to the power of God’s Word; they choose to believe ideas and opinions that tickle their ears and support their chosen ways and lifestyles.

When the sounds of the consuming fire and the pounding hammer has stopped, the chaffs and rocks of the world’s philosophies and wisdom will be found completely burned and shattered, and the hammer of God’s Word will be left complete and whole, unscathed—so are those who live under its power.

Psalm 112:7 (KJV) 7He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

Bad news doesn’t scare believers. Our hearts and sights are set not on all the evil things going on around us; they’re steadily fixed on the Lord. Situations may be scary in the natural, but we always trust in our absolutely trustworthy God and Father. He’s always much bigger than our biggest problems and worst situations.

We don’t deny the existence of evil tidings. Bad things abound. They surround us. We live in an ever-darkening world that can’t stand what we stand for. There are enemies who don’t take it sitting down. They want to continue doing evil, and they won’t rest until they utterly get rid of the godly.

We live in peace. Goliaths of life are big, but God is bigger. We don’t deny evil, we face them head-on. We don’t take them lightly; evil and sin are serious matters. We don’t play around with them; to do so is to court disaster. No. We deal with them decisively and uncompromisingly. We don’t give in to them; we don’t surrender to them. We may be in the minority, but fewer doesn’t always mean weaker. We’re for God, thus, He’s for us; and “…If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

John 17:11 (KJV) 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

The Father has given His wonderful Name to the Son. It’s His very same Name that keeps or protects us. And one of the reasons His Name is keeping us is the oneness of His people—the church. The kind of oneness or unity he desires for us is that which is very intimate—as close as the oneness of the Father and the Son.

The unity of the church is very important to our Lord Jesus. It’s something I personally treasure, pray for, and pursue. Churches, preachers, and teachers talk about this, support and uphold this truth. But many of the actions I see seem to be very different.

An attack against the unity of the church is an attack against the Name of the Father. Our Father loves the Son, the Son loves His church—it’s His body. The Lord told us He will destroy those who destroy His temple. That’s completely understandable; we take that seriously. We pray that others humble themselves and honor the Name that protects them. As for us, we’re committed to it. We may not be as numerous as the needed voices, but we’re not silent.

John 16:23 (KJV) 23And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

A day was prophesied and that day is now that we pray directly to the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus. When we, do God grants our prayers. The veil between us and God has been torn apart. We now boldly come before the throne of God. We do so not because of our own righteousness or accomplishment; it’s because of our Lord Jesus. Because of Him, there no longer remains anything that separates us from the Father.

We maintain a healthy balance of sincere humility and lion-like boldness. We’re not deserving of being in the presence of the greatest and perfectly holy Being; we can’t help but approach His awesome presence with utter lowliness of heart. At the same time, we don’t cower away, knowing that we have an advocate to our Father. He is worthy. It’s because of Him and in His Name that we have access to our heavenly Father.

In the lighter side of things, some people ask, “Do we pray to the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?”. As expected, answers vary. Here’s one passage telling us to pray directly to the Father—in Jesus’ Name. Of course, this is not the only Scripture though that addresses the issue. For now, we just pray the best we know how, and it’s been an awesome experience so far.

Jeremiah 10:10 (KJV) 10 But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

There’s only One true living God; a god among millions of gods isn’t God, a dead god isn’t God. He’s the King of all Kings, Lord of all Lords. He is eternal, awesome, all-powerful. No one and nothing can fight against Him and survive, much less, prevail.

We stand, walk, and live in awe of the LORD our God. There’s no one else like Him. No one else is all-powerful, all-present, and all wise. There’s no other Name greater. He rules over all people of all nations. Others fight against Him; but everyone will eventually bow before Him and acknowledge Him for who He is. He existed before time; He will exist after time.

We praise God that He gave us wisdom to understand. We don’t have to find ourselves fighting a sure losing battle. God is the very source of life; He’s the very force or being that created the entire universe, and is the One sustaining or preserving it. We’re on His side; we live for Him. We’re not of those who incur His wrath; we’re of those who receive His pleasure. We don’t look forward in fear to destruction; we longingly and joyfully anticipate His return and our ultimate salvation and glorification, abiding forever in His presence, power, peace, wisdom and love.

Jeremiah 9:24 (KJV)24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

Glorying or boasting is good if glorying is in the right thing. Having a true saving knowledge of, experience with, and understanding of God are right reasons to glory—knowing His nature, His power, His ways, His will.

The more we know Him, the more we see how wonderful He really is. For Him to lovingly and graciously invite us to drink of the free Living Water, He knows that when we do, we get to taste and see how good He really is, that He really is the One we need and we’ve been looking for. He’s the only one Who really satisfies our deepest hunger and thirst. He really is the answer to the greatest longing of our souls.

Others run after this world and its seemingly grand offers. They pursue more and more money. They strive hard to share in the 15 minutes of fame—of increased power and influence. They continually look for new things that will satisfy the cravings of their tongues and stomachs, or other people and things that will satisfy their flesh. But those are not things we glory in—not temporal things that will eventually just get burned up.

What we have extends beyond the reaches of matter, time, and space. Who we have and what we have are infinitely worth more than anything and anyone. He’s incomparable, immeasurable, incalculable, and incomprehensible. That’s why we worship Him alone. No volumes of books are enough to accommodate everything that can be written about Him. No amount of words can be used to fully describe the joys and blessings of having a saving knowledge, personal relationship, and very close intimacy with such a magnificent Being.